Gah! Plot! (Reply)

So,white_lotus fic is now twice as long as the longest thing I’ve ever written. It is a mess, goes nowhere, and every time I look at it I panic. It looks like it’s gone somewhere, though, because I keep writing bits I feel like writing, even if they aren’t supposed to happen yet. The problem is, it needs an actual plot and I DON’T WRITE PLOT. And I don’t know how to get the plot to start. I’m of half a mind just to scrap the whole thing, or even see if I can expand bits I’ve written into something that doesn’t need a plot. (This seems like the best plan.)

The problem is, I panic every time I think about it, and then avoid it. (This is what I do, especially when something seems too “big”) I was doing so well when I just thought of it in little pieces, but then I was all: “I’m writing this epic thing!” and then everything broke. (Today I managed to write 100 words, which is pretty good, but still no plot.)

But! I like the plot! It would totally be a story I’d read if I didn’t have to write the damn thing. People in my f-list who write long, plotty things (or just long things--the longest thing I’ve written before this was 1400+ words), HOW DO YOU DO IT?